“With ambitious plans in 2020 we hope to see Smack Lobster more readily available to people across the UK.”

Burger & Lobster was founded in Mayfair in 2011 and has nine London restaurants and sites in New York, Dubai, Bangkok, Malaysia, Kuwait and Singapore.

The group saw a 10% drop in sales from £42.2m to £37.9m in 2018.

Overall EBITDA was £5.7m, down from £6.2m in 2017, which it blamed on a “challenging operational environment in London”.

The company has closed sites in Cardiff and Manchester in recent years, but says it is looking at further regional growth in the UK.

A spokesperson says: “Burger & Lobster is excited about further expansion outside of London and is currently undergoing detailed studies of where this could be. There are also plans to open globally in other key markets including Asia and the US.”